Iran's Shopping Spree Continues

As I've previously noted, it doesn't matter how we've arrived at this particular point in time with respect to Iran's imminent joining the nuclear gang, but does anyone at the IAEA actually pay attention to these things?

Just wondering - as Iran was apparently able to buy nearly everything it needed to develop the technologies behind enriching uranium on the open market.

The assessment declares that Iran has developed an extensive web of front companies, official bodies, academic institutes and middlemen dedicated to obtaining - in western Europe and the former Soviet Union - the expertise, training and equipment for nuclear programs, missile development and biological and chemical weapons arsenals.

"In addition to sensitive goods, Iran continues intensively to seek the technology and know-how for military applications of all kinds," it says.

The document lists scores of Iranian companies and institutions involved in the arms race. It also details Tehran's growing determination to perfect a ballistic missile capable of delivering warheads far beyond its borders.

It says Iran hopes to develop a space program but is concentrating on upgrading and extending the range of its Shahab-3 missile, which has a range of 1200 kilometres, capable of reaching Israel.

The next generation of the Shahab ("shooting star" in Persian) should be capable of reaching Austria and Italy.

And why is the Guardian promoting the 'neocon agenda', as the Leftists in the US are fond of saying every time the argument for taking action against rogue states comes up?

The Belgravia Dispatch puts an assault on the Iranian nuclear facilities somewhere in the range of 10-15% in 2006. Confederate Yankee thinks it is much higher. Others aren't quite so sure that any of this will come to pass.

Iran will be frightningly close to having a bomb in 2006 and will continue with the fire and brimstone speeches ad nauseum, but wont declare until 2007 that they've got the bomb, and at least 25 others. Having a single bomb isn't enough to go to war, or to deter a country like Israel or the US taking direct action. 25 bombs may be enough to be a sufficient deterrent given that those bombs may be dispersed throughout the country and/or mated with missiles or other delivery devices for use.

In any case, the window for action is closing quickly, and no one appears willing or capable of stepping up to shut down the Iranian threat.

Meanwhile, Jeff Goldstein got a hold of one of Ahmadinejad's to-do lists, and it isn't pretty. It isn't far from the truth either given Ahmadinejad's rantings and ravings.

UPDATE:
Stephen Green has a memo for Old Europe. To cut to the chase, Green thinks that Old Europe should shut their collective pie-holes and let the US engage Iran in its own brand of diplomacy considering that the European model of diplomacy has put us on the precipice of Iran's nuclear armament.

And Austin Bay concurs.